Official Damaris Media community resources for
SilenceIn cinemas New Year's Day

Damaris Media is delighted to provide free official resources for churches based on Silence(in UK cinemas now), the latest film from Martin Scorsese. The Discussion and Reflection Guide is available now – download it below.

Based on the classic novel by Shusaku Endo, this epic drama tells the story of two devout and reverent young Jesuit priests, Father Rodrigues (Andrew Garfield) and Father Garrpe (Adam Driver). In the early 17th century they risk violence and persecution as they journey to Japan in search of their mentor, Father Ferreira (Liam Neeson), who travelled to Japan many years before and has now gone missing. Upon arrival in Japan, the two young priests discover a country in which Catholicism has been banned and where the new government is systematically eradicating any followers of the Christian faith; circumstances which test their beliefs to the limit as they search for the mysterious Father Ferreira.

“[Silence] is a stunning exploration of what it means to live a life centered on belief and its ability to withstand the most aggressive testing and encounters with the ugliest sides of mankind. A truly transcendent and stirring piece of cinema…” Antony Aris, Premier Christian Radio

Discussion and Reflection Guide

The official Discussion and Reflection Guide provides material for both personal reflection and group discussion. It has two sections:

Hearing God’s voice – The priests in the film find themselves on a challenging spiritual journey, where it isn’t always easy to hear God, or to make sense of what they’ve been taught about him. How can we have the courage of our convictions against all the odds? This part of the resource is designed for personal reflection either before or after watching the film.

Hearing God’s people – There are many parts of the world where it’s difficult or dangerous to be a Christian today. How can we educate ourselves about, and support, the persecuted church in the world? This section of the resource, created with help from CSW, encourages awareness and activism around standing up for human rights and religious freedom, and is designed for use after seeing the film.

Faith in impossible circumstances. Endurance against impossible odds. See Martin Scorsese’s epic new film Silence which is in cinemas now. Starring Andrew Garfield, Liam Neeson and Adam Driver, Silence tells the story of Jesuit priests confronting violence and persecution against Christians in 17th Century Japan. Their journey will stretch their beliefs to the limit, and cause them to question everything they’ve been taught about God.

Damaris Media is providing free, official resources to help church groups reflect on the theme of faith in adversity, and to take action on behalf of the persecuted church in the world today. All of this can be found now at silence.damarismedia.com.